


Sonic Reloaded

by BlossomingRosebud



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Courage, Drama, F/M, Freedom, Freedom Fighters, Friendship, Gen, Good versus Evil, Guised Villainy, Is a normal life too much to ask?, Knuckles is 1000 percent done with life, Let's do this thing, Politics, Politics Suck, Problems, Resistance, Rosie never dies, Strength, Team Chaotix is the official "My-Life-Sucks" Club, Team Dark, Team Dynamics, Team Feels, Team as Family, The world is a mess, We owe our sanity to Uncle Chuck, chaotix
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-08-15 03:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8040766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlossomingRosebud/pseuds/BlossomingRosebud
Summary: Mass Sonic AU.  Welcome to a Mobius much unlike one you have ever known - that is, a Mobius that is not at war.  All is good and well; nations are proud, strong, and at peace.  Technology and cityscapes are advancing more than ever before.But that, you see, is only the surface.  Beneath its gilded exterior, Mobius is a world wrought with strife and turmoil - between contentious factions, powerful gangs, and conniving politicians, this world is spiraling into the greatest depths of distress.  And who would be at the helm of it all?  Why, none other than the great Dr. Eggman himself, the President of Robotropolis.  Of course, no one knows his true colors.  No one knows he is the villain.  But he's got a plan...a plan to bring all of Mobius to its knees and under his control before they even know it.  But there is something, someone, who might just stop him.  A force for the good...in the form of a bunch of inexperienced teenagers.Alternate Universe of the Sonic world.  Based primarily off of the Archie comic universe, but uses elements from other sources.  Follows the rise of the three groups of heroes about to give Eggman a run for his money: the Freedom Fighters, Chaotix, and Team Dark.





	1. In Need of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Well, first of all, thank you for your interest in clicking on my story! Now, seeing as this is an AU, here's the basic layout: The Archie comics are my primary inspiration. This story will follow three main groups: the Freedom Fighters, the Chaotix, and Team Dark. The perspectives will bounce around. Each will be important.
> 
> Sooner or later, I'm going to have to make a map...because that might be nice to have. But to give anyone interested a picture, here's the basic political landscape. Like most Sonic universes, this model of Mobius is based loosely off of Earth's geography:
> 
> The Acorn Kingdom (where the Freedom Fighters are from) is in the general region of America, and like the U.S., it is somewhat large and therefore important. Their biggest ally is the Mercian Kingdom, led by Rob O' the Hedge and situated in Europe. Nearby is the city-state of Robotropolis, small in size but important as the virtual technological capital of the world. To the east lie the relatively small countries of Soleanna and Station Square. The region of Canada and the North Pole is Arctica, and the Wolf Pack Nation and Felidae occupy most of South America. In Asia we find the Dragon Kingdom; in the Pacific Ocean is the Little Island (derived from Sonic CD's "Little Planet") and the Nation of the Southern Isles (Blaze's world, now on Mobius). Australia is Downunda, the home of Echidnaopolis, the Dark Legion, Angel Island, and Knuckles. The League of Mobians is something akin to the United Nations: it has existed for a long time and contains delegates from most every country for the purpose of keeping peace. G.U.N. exists as the semi-independent military-based arm of the League. Their base is near Station Square, and their job is to go across borders to keep Mobius safe from any criminal, insurrectionist, or terroristic activity.
> 
> Yeah, I really need a map.
> 
> Also, to all who may wonder, the Chaos Emeralds due exist in this world, but they haven't been seen in a long, long time. They are hidden away; most think they are just a legend. After all, this version of Mobius is a more modernized, earth-anized sort of place.

She found it odd how dark the city was this time of night.  It was so different from those gilded streets of the day.  So different from the glittering skyrises.  Yet in the night there would be safety.

_Keep calm.  Keep going._

The lone girl presses her back to the shadows and attempts to curb her heavy breathing.  Just a little further.  Just a little further.  It wasn’t that far away.  She pulls the hood of her sweatshirt tighter, to cover those dreaded bright blonde curls.  She keeps walking.

 _All you need to do is get away_.

A car passes by.  Street lamps flood the path.  The buildings just seem to get closer and closer.  Closer together.  The windows stare at her.  They’re watching.  She knew they would be watching.  Did he know yet?  Did he know she was gone?

_Murder. Liar. Maniac._

Hope Juliana Kintobor keeps running.  She presses forward, aware only of the glorious beacon of freedom that hope promises will be just over the border.  But she has to stay focused.  Stay calm.  Stay okay.  She has to dodge streetlights.  It’s a good thing the skill runs in her family.

_He lied.  He lied to us.  He lied to the whole world._

Footsteps sounded on the walk. Hope froze in the shadows, but miraculously, the owner of the feet passed by without as much as a glance her way.  It’s okay.  She’ll survive.  She just had to get over the border.  Then there will be freedom.

_But what about my family?_

No, she could do nothing about that.  But this…this was irrational.  How could she leave?  She’ll die.  She’ll get caught.  And then what?  But the whole world…none of them know…she’s alone…all alone…she can’t take it…she can’t take it…

_He would stop at nothing…_

CLANG!  Hope ran straight into a ringing metal trashcan and collapsed to the ground.  Her breath caught in her throat.  It refused to move.  There was shattered glass on the ground.  Someone would hear her.  Shattered.  Broken.  Painful.

 _Hopeless_.

Who was she kidding!?  There was no freedom – no escape.  She would have to leave this world – it was all his, anyways.  There was no way out.  He destroyed the way out.  Was there even a way to fix it?

 “Hey, Hope!  What are you doing here?”

No.  Oh no.  She knew that voice.  He worked for _him_.  He was one of them.  She used to be, but not anymore.  He still was.  She turned around.  He was alone – not alone, a car just pulled to a stop behind her.  She was cornered.  Cornered like a rat.  In the streetlight his face seemed calm, then he stepped forward.

Hope ran.  Hope fled.  Hope was determined not to die.  Not tonight.  But he followed.  Into the cold dark night he was joined by the city in chasing her.

Hope’s heart ran faster than her feet.  She couldn’t do this much more.  Blood rushed to her already flustered brain.  Darkness clouded her vision.  Every scrape and bruise burned with the force of fire.  She was just a kid.  They would win.  And then what?

They came to the bridge.  This time she cornered for sure.  But this time – this time she knew what to do.  Her destiny lay in her hands alone.  Never again would she be blind.  Her heart may bleed, but her eyes could see.  They couldn’t, but she did.  She was free. She was already free.

Hope leapt off the side of the bridge.

Hope flew.

None of them could do that.  She flew faster and faster and faster.  To freedom.  She was so close, so close. 

Freedom.

Pain.  Blood.  Crunching.  Burning.  Crumbling, falling, shattering.  Her head rang.  Pain shot up her limbs.  Metal burned.  Fire burned.  Her body crumpled.  Voices shouted.  But she was okay. She could crawl.  One step closer.  One step closer.  She could hide.  But the pain grew; it didn’t grow numb.  Just black.  Her mind and her eyes gave in to the black.

But her spirit didn’t.

She was free.

And she knew dawn was coming.

 

* * *

 

 

_Seven years later…_

\--Mobotropolis, Acorn Kingdom—

“Princess Sally, may I see you for a moment?”

“Princess Sally, could you sign this, please?”

“Princess Sally, you’re needed to approve the decorations for next week’s Petunia Festival.”

“Don’t forget, Princess Sally, your needlework lessons have been moved to 12:30 today.”

Sally Acorn took great pains to suppress a badly needed sigh.  She was utterly surrounded by her work.  Fresh light from the dawning sun filtered in through the window, bringing with it all the hope and possibility of a brand new day.  And yet, she was stuck here.  Would she even be able to get away?  It was her idea to meet her friends at Uncle Chuck’s this morning, but if she had too much to do, she might not be able to even show up…again.

“The decorations are fine,” she confirmed with about half a glance.

“Of course…” the flustered hedgehog event planner seemed uncertain.  “But what about the music, my lady?”

“We can talk about all of that at the two o’clock meeting,” she asserted as fast as she could without seeming rude, before walking briskly away.  If she could just get out of the castle, it would be okay.  The Acorn Kingdom can live without her for just a few hours, right?

“Princess Sally!”  Oh, no.  A sharply dressed coyote came rushing to her side.  “I need you to read this,” he thrust a freshly printed booklet into her hands.  “It’s all of the points of discussion outlined by the Council for your meeting with the Mercian dignitaries next Friday, before the royal ball that evening.”

Now Sally was just confused.  “I thought Elias was meeting with them?”

“He is.  But you will also be attending the meeting.  And you will need to be aware of the points of conversation, in the event that you are asked a question, my lady.”

Right, of course.  Sally took the booklet and thanked him before leaving once again.  She would read it, but she kind of knew how the meeting would go.  Elias, the king-to-be, would do all the talking, and she would sit poised and quiet to the side.  Not that it was a problem; her brother was great at it all, and he _was_ the one getting ready to become king.  Still, it was nice when she got one of these diplomatic meetings to herself, which did happen, every once in a while.  But of course, she didn’t envy her brother for it.  Really.  She might question the need for her presence there when she was to do nothing, but hey, she was still just the student here, after all.  And the Mercian Kingdom _was_ the Acorns’ greatest ally.

She was almost out the door.  Just a few hours of a break – that was all she needed.  At a brisk pace she scurried down the hall…

“Princess Sally!”  Yes, it was always when she wanted to leave.  They never needed her…until she wanted to leave.

The owner of the latest voice came up from behind her.  She turned around, and quickly her eyes widened.  It was Hamlin!  Councilman, advisor to the king, director in the Royal Guard – he was important.  What could _he_ want?

“You’re late!” Oh dear.  Those were really bad words.  “You were expected for the meeting with the Council!  We were waiting!” Hamlin’s pink face glowed red.

Late?  She was never late.  But then…oh, now she remembered.  But she thought that was _next_ Saturday!  Not this one!  “I’m sorry…I…”

“And what are you wearing!?  You should be in formal attire for this!”

Sally looked self-consciously at her clothes.  She was in casual wear, alright.  The 17-year-old squirrel-chipmunk was coming out in blue shorts, a white T-shirt, and, of course, her favorite sleeveless blue vest.  It wasn’t the wear that would seem to befit a princess, but as long as she wasn’t doing anything “official”, it was okay.  And after all, she _was_ at school five days out of seven.  Until she graduated next year, she was still a student, really.  She could still be a teenager.

“I’ll be ready in a minute,” she desperately tried to grasp hold of the situation.  She really needed to stop making mistakes like this.  “Let me just…”

“Oh now, you don’t need to worry about that, dear!”

Sally breathed a happy sigh of relief.  Hamlin grimaced.  Into the scene came Rosie, here for Sally’s rescue once again.  Rosie was a gentle, elderly chipmunk, with soft eyes and a soft lavender dress.  She was Sally’s nanny, once upon a time; she took care of all the castle’s children.  But of course, she always did have a liking for Sally, and it wasn’t because she was the princess.

Hamlin took a deep breath to keep himself steady.  “Rosie.  Sally needs to come to this meeting,” he asserted sternly.

“Well, you’re late, anyways,” she responded in her sweet, grandmotherly voice.  “I see no problem with just doing it next week, don’t you?”

“Ma’am, this is important!” he asserted once again, growing even redder in the face.  Sally had to bite her lip to keep from smiling.  She knew that Hamlin was trying desperately to let Rosie know that he was still much higher in rank than she was, but of course, he was failing.  One just couldn’t say ‘no’ to Rosie, the one who spoke in arguments as if they were tranquil conversations.  It was probably what made her such a good nanny; Sally certainly had experienced those kinds of talks before.  And then, of course, she had seniority over just about everyone.  She had been there forever. It would seem that Rosie always was and always will be.

“Well then, why don’t I just go get King Maximilian to handle it?” she suggested lightly with that hint of jovial enthusiasm that irritated some and enlivened others.

But apparently, Hamlin already had enough of this.  He insisted that it wouldn’t be necessary and excused himself to go out.  Sally made a mental note to reschedule and make certain that everything was perfectly in order with the situation…later.  Now she was free, temporarily.  She just hoped that the meeting really wasn’t that important.  But then, if it was, they probably wouldn’t have been asking for _her_.

With Hamlin out of sight, Rosie gave Sally a friendly wink before moving on.  Sally smiled; she would have to thank her later.

But now, Sally made haste to get out the ever-elusive door, the grand entrance of the ancient Acorn Castle.  She sped down the streets of Mobotropolis, or at least, she walked as fast as it was considered ladylike to go.  Plain clothes or not, everyone recognized her as the princess, and it just so happened that around here, appearance was everything.

The streets twisted and turned more than what might be deemed logical.  But it was an ancient city, after all – a wide, sprawling expanse that held the classic, time-honored ambience of an era long before these places had their layouts planned.  People liked it that way.  They liked the chipped paint and crumbling buildings and market squares.  They belonged to a time generally considered much better than this one, much more authentic.  To Sally, its character could be accepted well enough; she knew this place like the fur on her hand and would never have any fear of getting lost.  She only was getting older and wiser, and this city was never going to change.  Granted, it actually was – there were plenty of renovations: new electricity, new plumbing, new heating, and even some new paint.  But down at the heart of things, where it mattered, nothing ever _really_ changed.

Sally’s eyes greeted the ever-familiar sight of Uncle Chuck’s Diner, her long-awaited destination, with much pleasure and relief.  The bell tingled, the door creaked…and thank Aurora, they came.  At least, most of them did.

“Sally!  Sugah!  You made it!” The golden-furred country she-rabbit known as Bunnie was the first to come up and embrace Sally in a warm, friendly hug.  Her one metallic hand was actually jabbing Sally in the spine right now, but she pretended that she didn’t care.  It was one of those unfortunate side effects from which her friend suffered due to having a prosthetic robotic arm – no nerve endings, no feeling, no sensing.  Same was true for both of her legs…it was quite the tragic accident.  But of course, that did nothing to negate her strength of will or her kind, feeling, fleshly heart.

“Bunnie!” Sally gave a friendly, albeit tired, smile.  “It’s been too long!”  How long _has_ it been since they all got together?  Two weeks?  Three?  But no matter.  They should all have more time after school let out for the summer.

“Hey Sal!  You came just in time for lunch.”  Rotor, her other jovial friend, greeted her enthusiastically after swallowing a bite of his fish sandwich.  The large purple walrus carried the faint but distinct scent of motor oil, but lucky for him, the deliciously greasy fumes of the diner mostly drowned that out.  That he was a mechanic would be the simple explanation, and yes, the ancient city still had cars.

“But zis is not ze time for lunch!” Antoine protested strongly from the other side of the table.  “It iz only 10:22AM!”

“Close enough,” Rotor shrugged.  Antoine looked cross, but that just his way, making big deals over little things.  But it was all in good spirit, really.  Of course, Rotor’s habits were not usually the object of his scrutiny; his usual subject for banter happened to not be here at the moment.

The last character to the scene was Tails, who gave a happy greeting as well but remained more or less transfixed on the laptop in front of him.  Unfortunately, it would seem that he had work to do – college work.  Although the two-tailed orange fox was only fifteen and should have been a freshman in high school right now, he had defied convention to become a freshman in college.  The kid was a genius; there was no doubt about it—although he seemed pretty normal as far as geniuses go.  Not quirky or eccentric as one would imagine a genius to be.  He was still a normal kid who liked doing normal things, even if his schedule wouldn’t allow it.  As it would turn out, having the system smile down on your favor and allow you to skip ahead of the pack also came with a whole lot of work, but Tails didn’t seem to mind.  He loved this stuff.  Science, technology, math – that was his lifeblood.

It was mostly to Tails that Sally directed the one question that needed to be asked; the one, it seemed, that she was always wondering nowadays.  “Has anyone seen Sonic?” she made her tone artificially casual.  It would seem, once again, that he would be absent from the group and everything else.  Granted, she was late coming here herself, but she had cause for worry.  Over and over again, Sonic was turning up missing.  He couldn’t make it to lunch; he wasn’t at class today; he’s not home right now; he’s just not here.  He never was.  But why?  What could he possibly be doing?  Tails always seemed to be the one with an answer, a ready excuse as to where he might be.  That in itself wasn’t too surprising – the two had always been quite close, even more so than the rest of the group.  They were like brothers – no doubt about it.  But it was for that very reason that Sally wondered if Tails might be just covering for him.  This was, in fact, serious.  Sonic was skipping school.  Repeatedly.  What if he didn’t pass his classes?  What if he didn’t graduate?  What if he lived his life poor, helpless, and unemployed?  Sally told herself to stop worrying so much.  She cared more than she should.  She worried more than she should.  But then again, he was her friend.  How could she let him throw his life away?  Ever since that incident with Uncle Chuck…he hadn’t been the same…

“I don’t know; I think he’s coming,” Tails responded simply.  Sally raised an eyebrow.  No excuses?  Did that mean he was actually coming?  It would be great if he did; things just weren’t the same without…

_WHOOSH!_

The entrance bell ringed violently as the diner door made a resounding _thud_ against the wall. A blue blur flew past the table and skidded to a halt at the counter.  “Two chili dogs, please!” Sonic the Hedgehog’s face was engraved with his usual casual smirk, elbow rested coolly on the counter in the ultimate degree of familiarity.  The moose employee attending the counter just rolled his eyes and got to it without a word.  Uncle Chuck wasn’t at the counter today; most likely, he was off working in his lab downstairs.

Sonic showed up in a flash at the table with his friends.  Happy greetings ensued: “Sonic, you made it!” Sally joined the chorus.  Yes!  Finally, they were all here.  All of her best friends were together in one place; who knew _that_ could still happen?  But of course, Sally just couldn’t help demanding answers for the next question she had in mind: “What took you so long?”

But of course, Sonic just grinned as if nothing could possibly be a problem.  “What? You miss me?” the cool speedster jested lightly.  “I was just busy with some stuff.  Great to be here, though!  Hey, Rotor!  Nice sandwich!”

Sally rolled her eyes, but she was pretty sure no one noticed.  The subject of conversation had been promptly changed.  Now we were talking about sandwiches again.

“Well, I have always been partial to ze chicken par bleu sandwich myself.  Ze fish; it is not ze strong flavor enough.”

“I’ll bet you just haven’t had a really _good_ fish on your sandwich before.”

“Hey guys, I believe you forget the chili dog.  Chili dogs would beat a sandwich any day.”

“We weren’t talking about ze chili dogs!!”

Yeah, better to just drop it for now.  The guys seemed to be having a lot of fun, anyhow.  Besides, she’d be a hypocrite to get on Sonic for being late when she was late herself…only she had a _reason_ to be busy.   Only, _today_ wasn’t the problem; it was all the other days.  But perhaps Sonic was just another one of those many things in her life she absolutely no control over…

“Well, Hon, with all this talk o’ food, Ah’m getting hungry myself.  Want to order lunch?”

“Yeah, sure,” Sally smiled as she and Bunnie skirted off to go get food.  Yeah, she knew she couldn’t control anything anymore.  She knew exactly where her life was going.  She knew it would involve being a princess, eventually marrying some nobleman out there, and saying goodbye to all her childhood friends.  But such was her duty and destiny, evidently.  Still…just for now…

Sally gazed back at Uncle Chuck’s most well-populated table and smiled.  Yeah, she knew things were changing, but she could savor the moment while it lasted.

 

* * *

 

\--Echidnaopolis--

“What do you mean ‘ _you don’t know_ ’!?”

Oh, what a nuisance.  Councilman Marius gripped his forehead with his hand and proceeded to rub his temples.  Standing before him and three other members of the High Council of Echidnaopolis was a very angry, very insolent fiery red young echidna.  And as much as he would wish it otherwise, this certain echidna refused to leave.  Marius found himself very close to removing the child by force, but unfortunately, that might look bad.  They were obligated by duty to listen to requests and complaints.  And you never knew where the press might be lurking.

“I told you,” Marius assumed his most dignified voice, his hands now clasped in front of him on the table.  As the eldest member of the council represented here, he was to preside.  “We are unaware of Locke’s whereabouts precisely.  We only know that he was surveying towns to the north.  And I assure you, we are doing all we can to remedy the situation.”

“Yeah?  Like what?” The echidna’s voice held a fierce challenge.  How impertinent, to speak to his superiors in such a way?  Marius knew his answer would appease most people, but not him.  No, he demanded an explanation.  It could only get worse from here.  The kid had already been here twice beforehand.  The first time the secretary was able to send him off – he was just worried, even meek about it.  Where was his father?  Shouldn’t he have been back by now?  Could they let him know if they found anything?  But it only took him one day to come back, this time bolder and angrier, as if he decided that his first approach was entirely inadequate.  He started demanding answers from the Council themselves, and they gave him some.  Marius had to be quite firm to get him to leave.  And now, three days later, he was here yet again…

“We have a strong presence in our territories, of course,” Marius’s commanding voice answered the teenager with surety.  “We just have no possible way of knowing for sure.  The High Council is not in the position of tracking the actions of every individual government employee,” he asserted, if for no other reason than to remind this echidna that he was not entirely important.  A tragedy, of course, but Echidnaopolis was not about to fall because of it anytime soon.

It might even be for the best.

“Well, if you’re so great, why _don’t_ you know!?”

Marius didn’t have time for this.  There were plenty of duties to be done more important than this one.  “Young man, please.” Such an insolent teenager.  “Allow us to do our job.  Now, if you would excuse me, we have other engagements to fulfill.  Good day, sir,” he gave a nice and formal farewell, anxious to get out of the receiving hall.  His fellow Councilmen followed close behind.   He thought he heard some loud, angry protests from the echidna as he was escorted out, but that was of no matter.  However, his persistence…it might be an issue.

Just a few hours later, Marius could be found at the police station, right in the office of the police chief himself.  “Constable Remington?  Yes, I have a problem.  Do you know Knuckles, Locke’s son?  Yes, I need you to keep an eye on him.”


	2. The Squeeze Theorem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tails does math, Knuckles gets friendly, and Hope's alive. Lots of new fun is brewing on the horizon, but for now, it's just a question of trying to find a bit of direction...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it really last September when I posted this? Sheesh...time flies...

\--Mobotropolis--

Calculus.  It always had to be calculus.  Miles Prower, better known as “Tails” by his friends, estimated a solid three hours before he had any hopes of being done with this homework.  Wearily rubbing his temples, the two-tailed fox slunk further against his seat with a sigh.  He really needed a break.

Now, don’t get him wrong – Tails loved math.  He wouldn’t have opted to be an engineering major if he didn’t.  Still, the classes could be challenging…and tiring.  Sure, he was smart, but genius had limits.  Like limits of complex sequences, or approximate error, or, well, you know, the challenging things.  But he needed to know.  He needed to ace this class, Calculus III it may be.  It didn’t help when you were a 15-year-old in a room full of 20-something’s.  You attract attention.  Everyone expects you to be perfect and amazing, and they would be quick to scoff at you if you don’t.  He needed to prove that he had a right to be there.

Well, at least it was already March.  Just another half of a semester, and he would be out for the summer, his first break after his year of college at the Acorn University.  He really should be happy to be here, though.  The AU was undisputedly the best institute of higher learning in the entire Acorn kingdom.  Granted, it was one of the _only_ institutes of higher learning in the kingdom.  This was the place everyone went – this old-as-time university nested right near the center of Mobotropolis, the capital city.  It was the only place of its kind sponsored by the government, and thus, it remained the largest.  It was no surprise that two of Tails’s closest friends, both in their early twenties, were going to the same place.  However, he didn’t see them that much.  Bunnie was an agriculture major, working on her cosmetician license on the side, and Antoine was doing general studies while training to be in the Royal Guard, like his father.

And why might the boy of fifteen even be in college, you might ask?  Well, he actually _was_ a genius – a child prodigy, some would say.  He breezed through grade school so well that a special governmental program allowed him to skip ahead, a full four grade levels ahead of the pack.  He always loved building things, and with that came a distinct knack for math and science.  Back then, he didn’t even try that hard – it just came naturally.  And so he accelerated.  However, after a good year of high-level theory-based college classes, Tails had discovered that his true passion really just was for building things.  Once it was summer, he would have plenty of time to work on all his personal projects.  Like the X-Tornado.  That one was his favorite, a cutting edge fighter jet that he was assembling back home (or rather, the out-of-use jet hangar that he had acquired to be his home-away-from-home).  It was going to be amazing when he was done…laser cannons, gyro stabilization, spherical thrusters – it would be his best work yet.  Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to show it off to most people; they might wonder too much on why this kid was building a war machine for himself.  But no matter, he would do it anyways.

Tails gazed ahead of him as he distractedly filled his mind with thoughts of his pet plane rather than his calculus.  It was easy to do, for right in front of him was a diagram of an old-time Acorn fighter plane posted on the wall.  They didn’t make those anymore – there was no need.  But it was a beautiful design.  Interestingly enough, this was the exact position he was in when he decided to make the X-Tornado, some time after the destruction of his first Tornado – sitting here, at the old receptionist’s desk, homework in front of him, gazing outwards at the view.  And quite the view it was.  To his left was a model replica of a classic sailing ship.  To his right – a vintage map of Mobius.  Further to the side resting on the ground was a grandiose wall sign labeled “Military History”, and there was another one labeled “The Acorn Dynasty.”  The area behind him opened up to a more spacious expanse, stuffed full with the remains of exhibits of every sort and form glorifying the history of the Acorn Kingdom and its star university.

It might be evident by the nature of the display that all of this was, in fact, a museum, or at least what was left of it.  Acorn University’s Museum of History and Technology had already closed down some eight years ago.  A bold and exciting venture at the time, it simply did not last that long.  It was more profitable for the building to be repurposed, the museum’s contents moved to the basement.  They were placed down there with a more or less deliberate arrangement under the impression that they might reopen soon in this lower space.  However, it never happened.  The exhibits collected grime and dust; the furniture was in disrepair.  That is, until Tails found it.  He came upon the forgotten floor by complete accident, back in his early days of wandering aimlessly around campus trying to figure out where everything was in these expansive grounds.  But the old museum fascinated him, and it provided the perfect spot to stay and do homework and things.  Not only was it full of inspiration, but it was quiet and allowed him a place to be alone to work.

“It would appear that the Squeeze theorem would be best suited for the completion of this particular problem.”

Well, mostly alone.  Tails was quickly jerked out of his daydreams by a computerized voice resounding from the walls, otherwise known as NICOLE, the Neo-Intelligence Computerized Operating and Learning Ensemble.  Or, rather, just Nicole.

“Heh, right!  Thanks,” Tails gave a self-conscious laugh.  Count on the computer to keep his mind on schoolwork.  It really was impressive how well NICOLE could respond to her surroundings.  It was amazing, visionary even.

Why would they have ever wanted to shut her down?

Seriously, he did wonder.  From an aspiring mechanic/engineer’s point of view, she was amazing.  But it seemed that it all just came down to the bottom line, the dollar.  NICOLE was going to be the main feature of this museum, an AI chocked full of information that was present only as a voice from the speakers to the visitors inside.  But that way, she _was_ the museum, its voice, its power.  She could be everywhere at once.  But that was exactly the problem, or so Tails conjectured.  That newspaper he had dug up at the library (which was where he got all this historical information to begin with) said that she kept glitching.  She would stop sentences short, try to say different audio outputs at once, or just not be responsive at all.  According to the article, they shut her down and the museum was closed soon after.  But then, when Tails wandered his way down here, there she was, in the _voice_ , anyhow.  A surprising discovery, to say the least, but she talked to him, and yeah!  He talked back.  She functioned perfectly fine.  Tails’s conclusion once he started studying her was that she was simply not equipped to deal with so many people’s vocal inputs at once, hence the glitches.  But Tails worked at that.  As it ended up, he found her whole computer system down here, and, well, he might have tinkered with it a _little_.  But hey, they threw her away!  So yes, he played with the programming and taught her a thing or two, calculus included.  And _no_ , he didn’t do that just for extra homework help; this was for _science_.

“Your stance is inactive.  Do you need further assistance?” NICOLE’s voice rang out yet again, jolting Tails from yet another mind wandering session.

“No…I was just thinking.  My…ummm…brain needed to rest from work,” Tails tried to find a nice excuse that made sense and didn’t mention daydreaming to the robot.

“But if your mind is active in the process of thought, how can it simultaneously be in a state of rest?”

Ohhh…computers are difficult.  This certainly wasn’t the first time he had struggled with explanations of people-things.  As much as Tails loved working with her, give him an engine on a plane any day.  Much more straightforward. Because, of course, as much as he taught NICOLE, she is and always will be just a computer, right?

“Let’s see…I am engaging my mind in a less strenuous process…”

“Hey!  Tails!  What’s up?”

Well, Tails found himself interrupted yet again, but this time it was by a friendly and much more physical face.  It was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog, appearing in the abode in about the time it takes to blink and looking none the worse for the wear.  And Tails was kind of glad to see him, even if he did cut him off right before he almost finally mastered explaining the concept of trains of thought in computer speak.

“Yeah, just some calculus homework,” Tails explained even as Sonic sped over to look over his shoulder at it.

“Eww, gross,” was the heartfelt reply.  Tails couldn’t suppress a smile this time; Sonic had always had a terrible relationship with math and pretty much school in general.

“New subject identified: Sonic the Hedgehog.  Distress detected.  Do you also wish for assistance in calculus?”

“Oh, no thanks, Nicole!  I’m leaving that to Tails!” Sonic swiveled his face to the ceiling and responded back as casually as if NICOLE were actually a real person.  He was the only other one who knew about her, and about this whole little place, period.  And why not?  Sonic and Tails were best friends; they had been so for years. 

“So!” Sonic swung back to Tails.  “I’m hungry.  You wanna run over to Chuck’s with me for some dinner?”

“Sorry, I can’t,” Tails gave a half-hearted shrug.  “I got work to do.  Will you be around tomorrow?”

Sonic responded with yet another shrug.  “I don’t know.  Depends, I guess?  But hey, maybe sometime we could all hang out somewhere.”

Tails just nodded.  The response was expected enough.  Life was sort of unpredictable…at least for Sonic.  Who knew?  Sometimes he wished for more direction, sometimes there just wasn’t enough.  At least, not where Robotnik was concerned…

“Hey, well, I’ll see you around.  You too, NICOLE!”

And…he was gone.  Sonic just left the building as fast and as reckless as he came into it, judging by the soft clicks of pens falling from the desk from the floor as the brief stream of wind flicked them over.  Tails just turned back to his calculus.  Yeah, life was a whole lot of fun indeed.

 

* * *

 

\--Angel Island, South Side--

Well, this could have very well been the most useless and unproductive expedition ever.  Not only did it do nothing, there was a good chance this could be considered negative productivity, given the number of bridges burned and targets set on the way out.  Not that he would have cared, if he knew.  No, this was about the time when Knuckles should have thought to ask for help, if he had been the type that would.  However, it might not matter, for help was virtually nonexistent anyways.

After all, it would appear that the island was completely uninhabited. Knuckles slapped yet another mosquito against his neck as he stewed in displeasure.  Yeah, this is what he got for listening to advice.  He thought there was nothing on Angel Island, and guess what?  There _was_ nothing!  Nothing at all!  Just trees and bushes and twigs and bramble and bugs.  Lots of bugs.  But then, what did he expect to find?  That there would be some nifty little house in the middle of this mess with little puffs of smoke drifting from the chimney and inside, there would be his dad, sipping hot cocoa and being all like “Hello! How’ve you been, son?  Sorry I never came home, I just lost track of the time”?  Yeah, like that would happen.  Yet Knuckles had no idea what _would_ happen, which only made him all the angrier about it.  And all he had to go on was that secretary pulling him to the side and whispering in his ear that Angel Island was where his father went.  It was where he _always_ went.

Even as he stood here, hundreds of miles away from the blasted place, Knuckles still found the scene replaying in his mind over and over again.  It was the fifth time he had confronted the Echidna Council, sixteen days since he saw his father last, and probably the last time he would see any of those accursed politicians.  Every time was the same, mostly.  He would go up there, yell at people, try to get answers, and leave with nothing.  Only this time, it was more serious.  They told him never to come back.  Like, _really_ never come back.  That Councilman (Mario?  Marius?) just looked him in the eye with the coldest glare a man could ever muster and told him that he was disturbing the peace and had to leave.  That’s when he barred him from ever setting foot in the City Capitol building ever again.  If he did, he would be arrested.

Thickheaded though he may be, Knuckles knew he meant it.  But who cares, right?  Knuckles never wanted to see them again, anyways.  He would leave and find his dad on his own.  It hurt his pride, anyways, going there over and over again like some orphan begging for bread.  But what could he do?  What choice did he have?  He knew nothing as it was.  Locke, his father, left often on these little “business trips” of his.  Sometimes he would be gone a day or two.  But he always came back, at least…until now…

Knuckles trudged through the undergrowth with more difficulty than he would like to admit.  What was with all these thorns, anyways?  But then again, he was raised in the city.  He hadn’t been in the woods since…well…when was the last time?  Oh, whatever.

Blast this, he needed a new plan.  Wandering around the woods wasn’t going to do anything.  For all he knew, that secretary lady could have been lying.  But _someone_ had to know.  Where did his father go all these years?  Why did he just drop off the face of Mobius?  Was it bandits?  Was he stuck somewhere?  Lost?  Senile?  Who knows!  The question was – why didn’t _he_ know!?  Yeah?  Why didn’t he?  Gosh darn it, he was the guy’s _son_!  And yet, what did he know?  Nothing!  Absolutely nothing!  He wasn’t even sure what his job _was_ back at that blasted capitol.  He was just _there_.  Why didn’t his father tell him anything?  Why didn’t he ask?  Well?  But Locke was his only family, and yet…he never said anything.  He never even wanted to talk about Mom…

RAWRGGH!

Knuckles hit the ground with a thud as a great heavy weight collapsed on top of him.  He shoved the thing off, rolled to the side.  What the…?

BAM!

The heavy weight punched him in the gut.  Knuckles opened his eyes to see what it was – an oversized bright green headphone-wearing crocodile.  A _crocodile_.  As if this day couldn’t get any worse.

“Hey, thought you could sneak around here, could ya?” the crocodile boomed out.  “Well, guess what?  _I_ got the surprise attack this time!”

Well, the croc didn’t have time to continue his victory gloat, for Knuckles was soon up and landing his fist in this jerk’s stomach.  The crocodile was caught off guard, but he was soon back and ready for a nice ol’ brawl.  A few wild boxing moves later left Knuckles on the defense. 

“Hey, what’s the big idea, man!?” Knuckles demanded a fair reason for the brawl.  He didn’t have time for this, and, needless to say, he had absolutely positively no experience in hand-to-hand combat.  Well, there were a few schoolyard fist fights in his past here and there…but that’s besides the point.

“Yo dude, ask yourself!” The croc responded in some weird version of ‘street’ lingo.  “You just stepped into _Vector’s_ domain!  No Dark Legion crony gets into _my_ swamp and gets away with it!”

“What the heck are you – HUMPF!” Knuckles was cut short when that “Vector” sucker-punched him…again.  Okay.  No more ‘Mr. Nice Guy’.  Knuckles drew a tight fist and turned it to bear his spikes outright.  He may not know combat, but he had enough sense to know that his unique echidna-bred spiked knuckles were an advantage.  He swiped across Vector’s arm, just hard enough to break his through scales and hit blood.  Vector drew back for a second in surprise.

“Look here!” Knuckles fairly shouted at his pesky opponent from about a six-foot distance.  “I don’t know anything about this ‘Dark Legion’ whatever!  I’m just looking around this island that was _supposed_ to be uninhabited to find my father who _supposedly_ went here!  I don’t want to fight!  I don’t need no more games!  I’ve been tossed aside like a moldy sandwich over and over again for two _weeks_ now because people won’t give me answers and I don’t need a crazy crocodile like you adding to my problems!  I’m _leaving!_ ” Knuckles finished with a heavy huff.

Vector just stared at him, holding his arm and widening his eyes as if he only just now had begun to actually think of the situation at hand.  “Huh, come to think of it, you don’t exactly _look_ like a Legionnaire…”

“Thank you!” Knuckles exclaimed at nearly the same high decibel rating and level of annoyance as before.  “So…what is a ‘Dark Legion’ anyways?”  Hey, he might as well ask, since they didn’t seem to be fighting anymore.

Vector seemed to believe that it now his turn to stare at Knuckles like he was crazy, giving the eyebrow raise.  “Uhh…you seriously don’t know what the Dark Legion is?  They’re only…like… _everywhere_ , dude.  Like cockroaches all over Downunda or something.”

“What?”

“You know, cockroaches!  You don’t see them, but they’re everywhere, and they’re ugly…”

“Yeah, I heard you!  That doesn’t answer the question!”

Suddenly the reality dawned on Vector, and just a slight smirk ensued.  “Hah!  I get it!  You’re from Echidnaopolis, right?  Man, I heard you guys were crazy, but you really don’t get out much, do you?  The Dark Legion are the _other_ echidna clan thing-y; they got an army and they’re all cybernetic and they control, like, _half_ of Downunda, at least.  And they like bossing all the other guys around.”

Knuckles could not elicit more than a dumb stare out of himself as he tried to process what he was just told.  There was just…no way.  Here was yet another thing he did not know, another matter on which he was clueless.  Was it true?  That there was a whole other echidna nation out there?  He was told they were the only ones!  He was told that Echidnaoplis had influence over the whole continent! But…whatever.  Honestly, he knew he shouldn’t be surprised.  He life was already a lie, somehow or another.  He didn’t know how yet, but he just knew it was.

“Great…just great,” Knuckles was quick to drag himself out of his shocked stupor.  “ _Another_ thing I don’t know.  Fine…I’m just going to leave now…” Knuckles turned around to start walking off in a somewhat limping-like fashion.  Darn, that guy got in some good hits…

“Hey, where are you going?”

Knuckles was stopped short by the sound of Vector’s questioning. Odd…why would he care?  “To find my father,” he replied curtly.

“Well, shoot, you said before you didn’t know where you were going.  Hey!  Why don’t you come chill at my place for a second?  Mighty and Ray might know something, and I _do_ know this island pretty much like the back of my claws.”

Knuckles eyed Vector bewilderedly.  What was up with this guy?  He attacks him out of nowhere, they talk for a bit, and now he’s just _inviting_ him over?  Was this a crocodile thing or something?  Knuckles never had any reason to expect such a response like that from anyone, and that would be _without_ the first stage of this meeting.  But…the croc seemed sincere.  It went against his better judgment to do this, but he had to admit…he _was_ just a little lost.  Maybe this guy and his friends really could help him out?  It sure would beat this wandering aimlessly business.

“Sure, why not?”

 

* * *

 

 

\--G.U.N. Base, somewhere in western Mercia—

It was a satisfying sound, the chorus of a day like any other day: taps on overworked keyboards, shuffling shoes on vinyl floors, papers passing hands, the murmuring mixed-pitch collage of voices from a thousand different conversations.  Here it was, the place where it happened—the place full of focused, steady people in an increasingly unsteady world.  Outside the world raged with explosive fights in the open and even worse ones behind closed doors.  It was a world on the path to destruction.  It was a world that had already been conquered, even if no one realized it yet.

And Hope should know.  She once lived there.

Hope Juliana Kintobor went by “Kintobor” no longer.  She stopped going by that the day she arrived here and has remained that way for all the seven years she has stayed.  As far as she was concerned, she was just “Hope.”  Hope didn’t have a family.  Hope didn’t have a country.  But she _did_ have G.U.N., and that was as good a reason to be grateful as any.

“Morning, Hope. Heading for the hangar?” Alfred, a fellow agent, strolled by with a coffee cup in his hand.  He was an engineer; so was she.  Or, at least, she wanted to be.  Admittedly, she was a little young for the job; at only nineteen years of age, the best she could called by any official sort of terms was ‘trainee’.  Still, she was glad for the chance to learn.  Here, she was able to work among the best, making things that would ultimately work to make G.U.N. stronger and, hopefully, make the world a safer place.  But unfortunately, she wasn’t exactly doing _much_.  As the child of the group, her job usually got regulated to ‘sit and watch’ while everyone else did stuff.  But maybe, hopefully, today would change that.

“Not today,” Hope replied with a faint glimmer of a smile as she tried to keep her excitement at bay.  “I’m going to see Commander Tower.”

Alfred’s eyes briefly alighted with interest as he acknowledged her with a nod.  “Well, good luck, kid,” he noted as he walked away. 

Well, she sure hoped it was good news.  Granted, speaking with G.U.N.’s head commander was not _too_ out of ordinary; he wasn’t an aloof sort of leader.  He was the good kind, the kind who was always involved in what was going on and always seeking the best out of all of his agents.  He was also the one who first gave her a chance.

Hope still remembers that conversation, when she came in by her own request three years ago.  At only half his size and a fraction of his knowledge, she stood right there in his office and made her declaration, her decision of the past several weeks.  “Commander, I want to be a G.U.N. agent.”

Was it odd that this was what she wanted most?  Was it strange that she didn’t want to ever leave, ever go back to normal life?  Find a home?  No, not at all.  They told her the options.  She could change her identity, get a new life.  Mercia, Acorn Kingdom, Soleanna…as long as she didn’t go back to Robotropolis, she would be fine.  Dr. ‘ _Robotnik’_ and all the rest of her ‘family’ could just assume she was dead, and everything would be fine.  But it wouldn’t be.  Things would go on like they were, and that would be wrong.  And somehow, because it was _her_ uncle, she felt responsible for what would happen.  Amateur at life though she was, she couldn’t let the world burn like this.  She had to put herself to work, to become one of them.  An agent.  She could build things like she used to, only they would turn out better than that hoverboard that crashed and burned inches from the border on that night seven years ago.  She would make something that would work.

And Commander Tower let her.  He told her all the risks, all of what this entailed.  She would live on the base.  She would be cut off from the outside world, from any semblance of a normal life.  But that was okay.  It’s not like she still _had_ a home, anyways.

Hope walked through the old stately doorway once again and let the receptionist know she was here, that Commander Tower wanted to see her.  Soon, she was let into his office, and her heart sped his nervous anticipation.  The Commander’s very presence exuded power and authority.  He could make anyone feel small, but at this point, Hope didn’t mind.

“Commander, you wanted to see me?” she asked tentatively.

Tower went straight to the point.  Eyes leveled at her from his seat behind the desk, he started.  “I hear you were looking for a new project?”

Hope could barely nod before he continued.  “I have an active assignment for you, stationed at Arkos Island.  You will be tasked with repairing some recent damage to the base and will be assisting the team of geneticists working on their current project.”

He handed Hope a folder filled with files, leaving her to stare at it with undisguised interest.  Plenty of pages; no title.  “What’s it called?” she asked curiously.

“Project: Shadow.”


End file.
